Spyridon, Archbishop of America, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America from September 1996 to August 1999.

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His Eminence '''Spyridon (Papageorge) of Chaldea''' is a retired hierarch of the [[Church of Constantinople]] who was Archbishop of the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]] from September 1996 to August 1999. After his reassignment as [[Metropolitan]] of Chaldea in 1999, which he refused, he retired.

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Archbishop Spyridon, the son of Clara and the late Dr. Constantine P. George, was born on September 24, 1944, in Warren, Ohio.

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==Life==

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[[Archbishop]] Spyridon was born George C. P. George in Warren, Ohio on [[September 24]], 1944, the son of Clara and Dr. Constantine P. George. Dr. George, a native of the island of Rhodes, practiced medicine in various cities in the United States before returning to Rhodes when his son George was nine years old. George returned to the United States when he was 15 years old and lived for two years in Tarpon Springs, Florida, the birthplace of his mother. There, he completed high school, graduating in 1962.

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After completing his elementary education in Steubenville, Ohio, and Rhodes, Greece, he graduated in 1962 from Tarpon Springs High School in Florida.

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After graduating from high school, George returned to Greece. Wanting to enter the priesthood, in 1962, he enrolled at the [[Theological School of Halki]] from which he graduated in 1966 with honors. In 1967, George continued his graduate studies for a year in Switzerland, specializing in the history of Protestant Churches. He then continued his studies in the subjects of Ecumenical Theology and Byzantine Literature at Bochum University in Germany, from 1969 to 1973, under a scholarship from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He became fluent in Greek, English, French, Italian, and German. During these years he served as secretary at the Permanent Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches and as Secretary of the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at Chambesy in Geneva.

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He studied at the famous Theological Faculty of Halki where he graduated in 1966 with highest honors. He subsequently pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, specializing in The History of the Protestant Churches. Awarded a scholarship by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he then studied Byzantine Literature at Bochum University in Germany (1969-1973).

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On [[November 30]], 1968, George was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[deacon]] with the name Spyridon. On [[February 1]], 1976, Dcn. Spyridon was ordained a [[priest]] and was assigned to serve as dean at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Andrew in Rome, until 1985. In 1984, he was appointment executive secretary of the Inter-Orthodox Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.

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He served as secretary at the Permanent Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches (Geneva, 1966-1967) and later as Secretary of the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at Chambesy (Geneva), as well as director of its well-known news bulletin "Episkepsis" (1976-1985), in 1976 he was assigned duties as dean of the Greek Orthodox Community of St. Andrew in Rome, where he served until 1985.

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On [[November 5]], 1985, Fr. Spyridon was elected the [[Titular bishop|titular Bishop]] of Apameia by the [[Holy Synod]] of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] [[bishop]] on the following [[November 24]] at the [[Patriarchal Church of Saint George (Phanar)|Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George]] and assigned as an [[auxiliary bishop]] to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Austria and Exarchate of Italy. In November 1991, the Holy Synod elected Bp. Spyridon the first metropolitan for the newly created [[Archdiocese of Italy and Malta|Archdiocese of Italy and Exarchate of Southern Europe]]. During his tenure as metropolitan, he reintroduced Orthodox [[monasticism]] in Italy following a lapse of many centuries.

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His long and direct contacts with Roman Catholic officials in Italy led to his appointment in 1984 as Executive Secretary of the Inter-Orthodox Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches.

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On [[July 30]], 1996, Metr. Spyridon was elected Archbishop of America by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew]]. On [[September 21]], 1996, Archbishop Spyridon was [[enthronement|enthroned]] at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City, the fifth archbishop to be enthroned since the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1922, and the first American-born Archbishop of America.

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In 1985 the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate elected him titular bishop of Apamea, assigning him as an auxiliary bishop to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Austria and Exarchate of Italy, as it was then known.

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As archbishop, Abp. Spyridon focused his strategic policy on the pressing issue of the survival of Orthodoxy and Hellenism within the Greek American community. In this, he took bold initiatives in dealing with vital matters affecting the [[GOARCH|Greek Orthodox Church of America]] including Greek education, Orthodox theological training, the Greek American lobby, and the administration of the Archdiocese.

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In November 1991, upon creating the Holy Archdiocese of Italy and Exarchate of Southern Europe, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate elected Spyridon as the first Metropolitan for this newly created Archdiocesan See.

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Due to conflicts within the church Spyridon resigned from the archiepiscopal throne of America on [[August 19]], 1999 and never accepted his subsequent appointment as Metropolitan of Chaldea by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On [[September 15]], 1999, he left New York and moved to Lisbon, Portugal, where he occasionally grants interviews and writes articles for the Greek press in America.

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During the course of four years as Metropolitan of Italy, he created various auxiliary departments; increased the number of parishes and consolidated their structure; contributed to the edification of Orthodox unity by incorporating various Italian Orthodox communities; gave particular attention to the Orthodox youth by creating the Union of Greek Orthodox Students of Italy; and after centuries reintroduced Orthodox monasticism in Italy by reopening the Byzantine monastery of St. John Theristis in Calabria.

In 1992 he was appointed chairman of the inter-Orthodox Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Lutheran World Federation. He has represented the Ecumenical Patriarchate in various inter-Church missions and international meetings. He was Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's delegate to the Special Synod of the Roman Catholic Bishops in Europe (Rome, 1991). His address at this Synod is considered of vast importance as it clearly identified the unfavorable developments which -due to the revival of Uniatism in Eastern Europe- were to follow in the theological dialogue between Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

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==Source==

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*[http://www.spyridon.org/biograph.html Biographical Profile of Archbishop Spyridon, former primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America]

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His twenty-year ministry in Italy, his participation in various interchurch dialogues, his frequent presence on the international church scene (he is fluent in Greek, English, French, Italian and German) and his American background all led to his election to the archiepiscopal throne of America on July 30, 1996.

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==External links==

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*[http://www.aspyridon-efiles.x10.mx/spyridon_1996/archbishop%20spyridon_bio.htm Listing] from the Orthodox Research Institute

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*[http://www.spyridon.ws/EN/intro.html The Lonely Path of Integrity]

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Spyridon’s activities in America were extremely varied as he focused his strategic policy on the pressing issue of the survival of Orthodoxy and Hellenism within the Greek American community. He took bold initiatives in dealing with vital matters affecting the Greek Orthodox Church of America: Greek education, Orthodox theological training, the Greek American lobby and the administration of the Archdiocese.

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[[Category: Bishops]]

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[[Category: Theological School of Halki Graduates]]

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Due to internal church conflicts Spyridon resigned from the archiepiscopal throne of America on August 19, 1999 and never accepted his subsequent appointment as Metropolitan of Chaldia by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On September 15, 1999, he left New York and moved to his current home in Lisbon, Portugal, where he occasionally grants interviews and writes articles for the Greek press in America.

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[[Category: Bishops of Apameia]]

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[[Category: Bishops of Chaldea]]

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In 2002, Exandas Publishers published Spyridon’s authorized biography, The Lonely Path of Integrity, written by Justine Frangouli-Argyris, a specialist in issues related to the Greek American and Greek Canadian communities.

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[[Category:20th-century bishops]]

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In February 2003, at a well attended reception at Terrace on the Park in New York, John Catsimatides, a business magnate and prominent figure in the Greek American community, announced the creation of the Archbishop Spyridon Foundation for Hellenic Education and Culture, with Archbishop Spyridon himself serving as honorary president. The Board of the Foundation includes John Catsimatides, president; Eve Condakes and Michael Cantonis, vice-presidents; Justine Frangouli-Argyris, secretary; Georgia Kaloidis, treasurer; as well as Leo Condakes, Dimitris Kaloidis, Harry Pappas, Bill Tenet, and Professor John Rassias.

Life

Archbishop Spyridon was born George C. P. George in Warren, Ohio on September 24, 1944, the son of Clara and Dr. Constantine P. George. Dr. George, a native of the island of Rhodes, practiced medicine in various cities in the United States before returning to Rhodes when his son George was nine years old. George returned to the United States when he was 15 years old and lived for two years in Tarpon Springs, Florida, the birthplace of his mother. There, he completed high school, graduating in 1962.

After graduating from high school, George returned to Greece. Wanting to enter the priesthood, in 1962, he enrolled at the Theological School of Halki from which he graduated in 1966 with honors. In 1967, George continued his graduate studies for a year in Switzerland, specializing in the history of Protestant Churches. He then continued his studies in the subjects of Ecumenical Theology and Byzantine Literature at Bochum University in Germany, from 1969 to 1973, under a scholarship from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He became fluent in Greek, English, French, Italian, and German. During these years he served as secretary at the Permanent Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches and as Secretary of the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at Chambesy in Geneva.

On November 30, 1968, George was ordained a deacon with the name Spyridon. On February 1, 1976, Dcn. Spyridon was ordained a priest and was assigned to serve as dean at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Andrew in Rome, until 1985. In 1984, he was appointment executive secretary of the Inter-Orthodox Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.

On July 30, 1996, Metr. Spyridon was elected Archbishop of America by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. On September 21, 1996, Archbishop Spyridon was enthroned at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City, the fifth archbishop to be enthroned since the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1922, and the first American-born Archbishop of America.

As archbishop, Abp. Spyridon focused his strategic policy on the pressing issue of the survival of Orthodoxy and Hellenism within the Greek American community. In this, he took bold initiatives in dealing with vital matters affecting the Greek Orthodox Church of America including Greek education, Orthodox theological training, the Greek American lobby, and the administration of the Archdiocese.

Due to conflicts within the church Spyridon resigned from the archiepiscopal throne of America on August 19, 1999 and never accepted his subsequent appointment as Metropolitan of Chaldea by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On September 15, 1999, he left New York and moved to Lisbon, Portugal, where he occasionally grants interviews and writes articles for the Greek press in America.